Related Articles

Pawel Kamionka, PRL's news editor, said that many Polish expatriates had left home because they were fed up with Polish political infighting and corruption.

"So many Polish people left Poland in part because they were running away from Polish politics," he said.

"But for Polish politicians the community is so large — up to one million people — it's important to come here, so that Poles in the UK won't forget about Poland."

Among those taking part yesterday was Michal Dworczyk, an adviser on expatriate affairs to Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the prime minister and a parliamentary candidate.

"It's very important that we come here and tell people they have to vote," he said. "It's not good that so many people have left Poland. We are trying to invite them to come back. With this radio debate we can broadcast all these things to this large Polish community."

Such is the potential turnout among the Polish community abroad that 20 polling stations are being set up across the UK and Ireland.

Most surveys show that the election will be a close race between the Law and Justice party and its main centre-right rival, Civic Platform, which has produced a pro-business manifesto and is taking a much more conciliatory tone on foreign policy than the Kaczynskis.

Such is the twins' abrasive style on the international stage that Polish expatriates are considered more likely to vote for Civic Platform.

Its leader, Donald Tusk, has already made a campaign dash through the British Isles, stopping in England, Ireland and Scotland a week ago to drum home the anti-Kaczynski message.

"I cannot ask you to return now because I know you cannot return as long as we have such a rule," he said.

"But we can change this together. By going to vote we can make it possible."

Despite his visit, yesterday's debate was the first time that politicians from across the Polish political spectrum had faced each other in Britain.

Although the parties are assiduously courting Poles in Britain, the expatriate vote is unlikely to prove a decisive factor in the election, which operates in a complex list system which has the effect of limiting expat voters’ influence to just Warsaw.

Election rules mean that all votes cast abroad will count only towards the result in Warsaw, the Polish capital, rather than the nation as a whole.